Holiday part 4 Trial and Graduation
by RavenBlazeofyt
Summary: After two weeks of training the RIT's (Regulars In Training) put their training to use and we we get to know 5 specific Paternoster Regulars.


Trial and Graduation

As the maid and the lizard woman settled down on the porch for tea on Friday of the second week by the sea the Sargent road up in the wagon and Vastra welcomed him to sit down and have tea.

"The recruits have completed all course work and all have made the marksmanship standards set. Though I feel it would be better for them to leave with some sort of final test, a crime scene for them to investigate and an enemy for them to track." said the Sargent sitting down across a small table from Vastra.

"While I already have cases for them to start working on back in London, it would be good for them to be tested in some way. Jenny perhaps you could help in this?" replied Vastra and she looked over to her maid.

"In what way?" asked Jenny

"It would be possible to arrange a 'kidnapping' scenario in which the Sargent is taken, you could leave clues, and create scene which would lead them back to the woods where I have already arranged for a party to celebrate the first RIT's." said Vastra. They went on to discuss in detail how the scenario would go down with Jenny 'kidnapping' the Sargent.

Early the next morning before any of the RIT's awoke Jenny and the Sargent got to work on setting up their final mission/ test for the RIT's. They carefully turned over a few things in the Sargent's tent, scribbled out a note and loaded up the wagon with the Sargent's actual belongings. Then they tossed around some pigs blood, stamped the ground to make it look like a struggle had occurred and set a time-delayed explosive.

When Jenny and the Sargent were at a safe distance, the explosive went off. Suddenly nine-sleepy-eyed RIT's scrambled out of their tents, tossing on vests, hopping around in shoes and buttoning shirts as they went, one ran to the armory tent tossing pistol belts to the others another scrambled to light lanterns as a third went to the Sargent's tent. "Lads take a look at this!" said a strong athletic looking RIT at the Sargent's tent. "We got blood spatter!"

A young, nerdy looking RIT who was lighting lanterns took a careful look at the tent, kneeling down to check the ground. "It's a crime scene. Bob carefully walk out, we need to sketch this." said the RIT with the lantern.

"Here Anna" said an RIT with a slight Caribbean accent who had gone to get the pistol belts coming up the kneeling nerdy RIT and handing her a note book. "Thanks John" said Anna back to the RIT with the Caribbean accent and the Pistol belts. Bob carefully walked out and Anna sketched down his path in her note book as she sketched the rest of the scene.

"Looks like there was a struggle." said Bob also kneeling down beside John and Anna to look at the ground. Anna carefully sketched the foot prints into her note book.

"Did anyone hear any gun fire?" asked John looking back to the other RIT's. The other six shook their heads. "Well then why is there blood spatter on the tent? And what could have caused the explosion?" asked John.

Five of the other RIT's gave a shrug, they had been sound asleep. Another tall RIT with with slightly German features and a lantern took a few step along the path that lead out of the camp "I think I found our explosion John, look at this." said the tall RIT with German features holding up the lantern by the path.

"Florence, what is it?" asked John walking up to tall German featured RIT along the path.

"Looks like a charge had just been set in the road. I'm not seeing any shrapnel, looks like just explosives and dirt." said Florence as she carefully stepped closer to the small crater in the road.

Anna came up behind them with her note book and quickly sketched the scene. "And look at this, wagon tracks start maybe 6 yards back from the crater." said Florence walking the scene more.

"Anna, bring your note book back here. I think I found the blood spatter's source, we got a knife and a note. Cont read it, it's in a foreign language." said Bob still at the tent, kneeling over a blood coded knife staked through a piece of paper.

Anna rushed back over and sketched the scene around the knife and note book. "Looks like it might be Latin. Samuel! Get over eer." called Anna to another RIT who was walking with five other RIT's securing the area around camp.

Samuel a tall nerdy looking man with curly dark hair walked over, "Yep, that is Latin, all right." said Samuel pulling out his glasses. "It says if you ever want to see your Sargent again, you will follow the clues. Bring the 3 items from your first day of training to the half way point of your first run." read Samuel.

John and Florence we joined Anna, Bob and Samuel at the Sargent's tent as the other four RIT's finished their patrol. "So what's the plan?" asked Florence

"Do as it says?" asked John

"What else can we do?" asked Anna

"Well then Lad's, let's do it. Grab you kit and let's move!" said Bob

The nine RIT's gathered their kit and double timed it to the half way point. As dawn started to break they found a hunched over person in a heavy cloaked hood. "Bones, twigs and feathers? bones twigs and feathers?" spoke the hunched over person in an elderly accent.

"We have feathers, bones and sticks... would that help you?" asked Samuel kneeling to the hunched over elderly person.

"On the ground if you would please." said the hunched over elderly.

The RIT's spread out the sticks, bones and feathers and the hunched over elder spelled out the word "range" with them using gloved hands. Anna knelt down "Did someone tell you a group of people should go to a range?" asked the RIT very gently and she noted the woman's appearance and what she said in her note book

"Yes, child." said the elder.

"Do you remember what they looked like?" asked Anna softly

"No... they just said to spell out this word and gave me food" said the elder

"Did you see which direction they left in?" asked Samuel

"These eyes do not see much child" said the elder

"Thank you Ma'am" said Samuel and the RIT's took off running down the road.

"So what's the plan now?" asked Florence

"Head to the range. What else can we do?" replied Bob

As soon as they got to the range, they heard around of fire coming from the target area. "Everyone get down!" yelled Florence. The squad of RIT's hit the dirt.

John tapped Florence and Bob on the shoulder and using hand signals indicated "see two lights" from the direction of the fire. Bob and Florence signaled back "okay". John pulled his pistol, took careful aim and shot out the two lights. Then they heard another volley of fire, all nine RIT's from prone positions returned fire and when the smoke cleared they saw all the pistol fire hand broken open a box which had a badly grazed ceramic pot.

"Samuel, Anna with me, the rest of you cover us." whispered Bob and the three belly crawled toward the pot. Bob carefully turned it over and they found a note written in Latin. "Samuel." whispered Bob handing Samuel the note.

"I have your Sargent in the woods behind your bosses house, be there by noon unarmed or he will parish." read Samuel as Anna took careful notes.

The three crawled back to the others. "The Sargent will parish if we are not at the woods behind Madam Vastra's house by noon." said Bob informing the others

"Should we inform Madam Vastra?" asked John

"Anyone else find it a it a tad odd we have so far woken up to an explosion, examined a crime scene, followed clues, ran a lot, translated, just had a fire fight, came across a strange woman who spelled out 'range' in bones, twigs and feathers and are now being told to go to Madam Vastra's property?" said Florence.

"Basically covering all the skills we ave learned." replied Samuel.

"So this is a test?" asked Anna

"Precisely." said Florence

"Would make sense I guess, but if this is a test, then we need to follow it on out. We can stash our pistols under Madam's porch and just keep sharp." said Bob

John looked at his watch "Then we best be looking sharp on the double, it's nearly 11 o'clock." said John and they took off double time, stashed their pistols under the porch and carefully entered the woods with Bob taking point, followed by Florence, Anna, Samuel, John and the rest of the RIT's

"I smell smoke." whispered Anna

"I smell, bacon." whispered John.

Bob stopped in his tracks and nearly got knocked over by the other eight RIT's. There before them was a roast hog, the Sargent dressed in a suite perfectly fine and Madam Vastra in her veil flanked by her maid Miss Flint all smiling.

"Welcome Regulars In Training, I am pleased to commend you on your education and to celebrate you as the first class of Paternoster Regulars." pronounced Vastra

"Regulars fall in." commanded the Sargent and the newly commissioned Paternoster Regulars (PR's) formed two lines of mixed ranks male and female.

Vastra flanked by Jenny reviewed the PR's and Anna's note book. She was very pleased, her new net work of independent investigators were now trained and ready to help. The rest of the afternoon was spent feasting till the Sargent drove the new PR's back to camp to pack up and head for the train station to go home.


End file.
